Intro to FengShui

Hi! Welcome to my blog.

Today I am going to talk about FengShui.

You probably have heard of FengShui if you are into oriental interior designing.

It sometimes seems mysterious and superstitious.

Some are reasonably logical.

My intention is to unveil some of those logical aspects of FengShui.

FengShui simply means wind and water.

Direct translation contains a lot of hidden information.

Before we discuss FengShui, we need to know about natural phenomenon wind and water.

Wind

Wind generally moves from high to low atmospheric pressure.

Atmospheric pressure is influenced by the water molecules in the air.

The hotter the day is, more water evaporate from the water's surface, such as lake, pool, or ocean.

This evaporation requires sunlight, heat, and increases the atmospheric pressure.

The changes in the atmospheric pressure causes movements which is called the wind.

Low atmospheric pressure is opposite to high pressure, so water molecules condenses.

The condensation may lead into rain or clouds.

These are general characteristics of wind.

Wind exposure and health

Depending on the surrounding landscape, some area might have more or less wind exposure.

Direct exposure to wind causes drop of body temperatures, thus windbreakers are utilized to slow down the body heat loss.

As our body temperature drops, we can catch a cold.

This is the reason why FengShui focused on wind.

Ancient orientals believed wind carried disease, and wind exposure is detrimental for health.

FengShui focused on finding a topographic location where it would have favourable wind exposures to control temperatures.

If the location cannot be selected, then at least build the fences around the house to control the wind flow.

Additionally, houses did not have good insulation like modern days, so houses were not sealed and wind will blow in.

To keep the house warm and ventilate, designing the house and controlling the air flow was important.

If too much air flows in, then residents will suffer from coldness, without air flows, mould might grow.

Atmospheric pressure and joints health

Another health issue is the joint.

You probably heard from grandparents saying, "Oh, my joints ache. It might rain or cloudy tomorrow.", or something like that.

Our body cavities, thoracic cavities, abdominal cavities, and joints are affected by the pressure.

Atmospheric changes are minimal to be felt when we are healthy, but for seniors these changes are significant to feel it.

According "healthline" stress and pain can be flared by the low atmospheric pressure.

These weather changes are not to be treated lightly if you are serious about your health.

Sometimes you cannot change the weather of a region where you live, so FengShui tried to minimize the environmental influences on health through placements of objects and building designs.

You can use the link to learn more about weather and health.

Wind to Ventilation system

In the past, we did not have technological advancements to make a home airtight, and a good ventilation system to keep air circulate within the house.

What would happen if the air does not circulate in the house?

It would cause dampness and mould will grow, which is unhealthy.

To prevent dampness and mould growth, ancient orientals had to utilize natural wind and build a house to allow appropriate natural air circulation.

This is another reason why FengShui was developed to keep the house well ventilated.

Home airtightness

Nowadays, airtightness is becoming an important feature of the house.

An airtight home would retain the warmth or coldness longer, and prevent air pollutants coming into the house.

There is still a lot of research and debate about the airtightness of a home.

Old beliefs were that home should be breathable, so it allows expansions and contractions of home materials as the temperature changes.

Also breathable house like before will prevent mould growth.

Nowadays, technological advancements can control all those factors of air quality, humidity, and temperature, so it is better to prevent any external influences like air pollutants.

If you want to know more about airtightness of a house, you can use the link here to download an article.

I believe airtightness is important to save heating costs and keep you healthy.

As long as we can prevent mechanical failures, houses should be airtight.

Imagine during the winter wearing just a shirt compared to a winter jacket.

The retention of heat of a winter jacket will help to get through the witner coldness compare to just a shirt.

Now that we know more about the wind portion of FengShui, we need to talk about Shui, the water.

Water

Water generally moves from high altitude to low altitude.

Rain drops from the sky to the ground, and travels either on the surface of Earth or underground.

Depending on the temperature, the amount of water evaporating will vary, causing humidity nearby to fluctuate respectively.

Having a body of water nearby reduces temperature fluctuation.

Cold weather will be not too cold, or hot weather would be not too hot nearby the water.

This is somewhat true depending on the size of the water body.

Here is an article you can read to know more about water bodies in the urban setting.

Aside from the size of the water body, the content of the water body is also important.

If the water is filled with liquid toxic wastes, those toxic wastes will eventually evaporate, and we will inhale those toxins.

If you have water nearby your home, make sure to take good care of it.

Water, health, and home

Water leakage is a terrible story for a homeowner.

It damages or rot the wood, and may cause mould growth.

If you have experienced a humid house without a good ventilation system, you could probably know that basement musty smell.

It is a sign that you need to find the mould somewhere in the corner or lurking behind the cabinets.

This is the reason why we are now focusing on dryness of the house.

The house can be damaged from the water, but our health can suffer from it.

It can be devastating financial as well, depending on where the leakage is.

Having a healthy home can mean physical, psychological, and financial well-being.

This was no different back in ancient time.

Ancient orientals probably experienced leaky roof, mould growth, and mice infestations, and they would have to find a good location where it would not flood easily or the course of water does not invade into the house when the rain pours down.

There are also groundwater that may overtime cause sinking or unstable ground.

This is a reason why we study watershed in modern days.

You do not want to have a house built on the watershed and get flooded during a wet season.

If you are interested in learning more about watershed, here is the link.

Combination example of location selection

The best example of FengShui topographically is Vancouver in Canada.

Vancouver has water body regulating temperature fluctuation, and has the Rock Mountain protecting against the cold winter air from the North Pole.

There are other factors to consider, like an earthquake, but with regard to favourable weather conditions, Vancouver is one of the best place in Canada.

Due to being very close to mountain range and warm water, it often rains.

When purchasing a home, you should consider the location if you can.

Map sourced from the Google map.

An example of unique location

In Venezuela, near Catatumbo River, lightning strikes almost everyday due to its unique topography.

Imagine living nearby.

It will certainly be the unique and exciting lifestyle, but not for everybody.

If you want to know more, here are the link from NASA, and The New York Times.

Map sourced from Google map.

There are other aspects of FengShui such as colour, five elements theory, and eight trigrams, but those are not the topic of discussion for today.

Remember, these are logical perspective of FengShui that we can observe scientifically.

My personal opinion is that we should take good traditions and modernize it if we can.

These are my interpretations of oriental philosophies.

These are informational purpose and should not be treated as legal, medical, or professional advices. Please ask your medical doctors or local experts about their advices.

#FengShui #house #health #orientalmedicine #integration #Lastinghealthandwealth